Pirates of the SGC
by spacegypsy1
Summary: Misunderstandings, kidnapping and pirates of the space variety – the typical Daniel and Vala road to admitting their love. Some Mitchell, Jack and SG 3 involved.
1. Chapter 1

Pirates of the SGC

Spacegypsy1

Chapter 1 of 3

~0i0~

Misunderstandings, kidnapping and pirates of the space variety – the typical Daniel and Vala road to admitting their love.

~0i0~ Chapter One

Slamming the brush down that Daniel had just given her Vala turned towards him, irritation clearly her current mood. "I think we've been through this before!"

"What?" Daniel quipped, unconcerned, while carefully tooling a small statue loose from thousands of years of dirt and debris.

"The thinking what you think I am thinking, it's annoying."

He was on his knees bending low and straightened up, turning quickly to stare in awe. "Annoying! Annoying? You're calling ME annoying!?"

"Yes, and look, you just broke a hand off of that cute… well, used to be cute little statue!"

"Son of a bitch!" Few things could distract him from his work. She was all of them.

Vala stood in one fluid movement. Hands going to her hips, brows driving downward, eyes becoming mere slits. "You know, Daniel, I think you need to go see Dr. Hutchison! You need to talk to someone which obviously isn't me! You've been impossible to deal with! All of a sudden you're, you're... you're hopeless and mean and... and bitchy day and night!" She stomped away.

Chin dropping towards his chest, Daniel sighed, braced his hands on his thighs and eyes upwards stared at the spot where the tiny statue stared back at him. "I don't know why I can't deal with her right now." He told the figure which hung precariously half in and half out of the wall of ancient sediment.

"You do know." Like a whisper drifted into the stillness. Unsure he'd thought that or somehow heard that, Daniel looked deep down into the darkness where the cavern narrowed.

Blinking he turned to his left and then right. "Who said that?"

"Who said what?" Vala asked, voice thick with crossness, "I just arrived, and ONLY because Mitchell told me to tell you that you have twenty minutes." Once again she stomped out.

"I can't get this done in twenty minutes without your help!" He yelled, exasperated.

"Sounds like a personal problem to me!" Vala yelled back.

When she left he carefully worked the object out of the wall of dirt, wrapped the statue then dug around through the silt on the ground left by the river that once - very long ago – flowed through this very cavern and located the tiny hand.

~0i0~

"No sir, General Landry, I was unable to get all that I needed." Daniel shifted his eyes towards Vala with a heavy dose of irritation.

She grinned happily. "Actually, General, I think Daniel was a bit frustrated when he broke one of ….

"Vala!"

"What? It's the truth!"

Landry just shook his head. "Colonel Mitchell I'll wait for your report since your team seems to have an issue I'm not willing to referee."

~0i0~

Carefully Vala placed the top back into the nail polish bottle and maneuvered the telephone slowly as not to disturb the newly painted nail. "Hello Jack, what's got you calling me? Did Daniel come crying to you that I was mean to him? Well, let me just tell you how absolutely mean he has been to me. Started just a few days ago. I know why. I know. All because he kissed me. HE kissed me! And then, now all his…."

"Vala," Jack O'Neill interrupted in a serious tone that had her listening, "it was the anniversary of Sha're's death. And I guess he felt guilty. Not about kissing you, about forgetting the date. I'm guessing here because I haven't spoken to him recently. Just got the rumors."

"Oh."

"Not really a good excuse for his behavior." Jack said.

"How very disturbing. Now I feel really, really bad. I had hoped… I mean we had been getting closer, in the relationship way not the friends and co-worker way. But she's still… He still loves her, he always will, not that he shouldn't. Plainly, he is never going to be for me. That's good to know. Oh well, I never thought it would happen anyway. Thank you for letting me know. About the date, anniversary, thingie. I need to go, I… I have some work… I need to go."

Resisting the urge to lay down and cry Vala picked up the nail polish and began to paint. It didn't last long as tears gathered blinding her to the process. She would talk to him in the morning. She would let him know that she was only his friend and that would make him feel better.

~0i0~

"Daniel?" She whispered softly, coming into his office, he turned, smiling and she continued. "I'm sorry. I don't know what got me so aggravated. Maybe it was some kind of... well... anyway, sorry. Later, I'll finish the cataloging and I'll go back through the items and make some notes. And, by the way, I don't want you to think about what happened between us. I know is was... it wasn't really meant to be. You didn't intentionally mean to kiss me either because you really don't care for me in that way. It just got out of hand I guess. I was being way too flirty and I shouldn't have. I understand. I don't want to be the cause of breaking up our friendship. You don't see me that way. And that's... that's... well, I can... anyway... you don't have to worry, I won't be doing that anymore. At all. Ever."

Burying his head in his hands Daniel shook his head, then scrubbed his face and began speaking, softly, truthfully. "Vala. It wasn't you." He looked up but she was gone. He needed to talk to her. But first he wanted to figure out how to tell her how much he did care for her. That it wasn't her fault at all. He would make this right. Daniel stood, pulled the picture of Sha're from the wall. "It's time. Funny, I never would have thought it would be Vala. I love her, Sha're. And I will always love you." Placing the photo in his drawer he returned to his desk. He would wait until tonight. Stop by her room. Take the time to explain. To tell her how much he cared.

~0i0~

"Where the hell are you going? Landry just told me you're being loaned out!" Mitchell hollered down the hall as Vala dashed towards the Gateroom.

She turned, "With SG 3. They needed a translator. I know that language... or languages for those merchants. Lots of supposed reformed mercenaries, thieves, pirates, you know the usual. "I'm late! I need a break. Just for a while. We'll be back tomorrow after lunch. See ya!" She gave him her best window washer wave as she entered the Gateroom.

~0i0~

"Mitchell, do you know where Vala is?" Daniel, frustrated, stuck his head into Mitchell's office.

"She's with SG-3 on PX7-919. Why?" The colonel didn't look up from the report he was crafting.

Bursting into the office, Daniel stopped at Mitchell's desk. "What! Why's she off with SG-3? I just saw her, well, a few hours ago!"

"Volunteered. Said she needed a break. They'll be back tomorrow fairly early, noonish. What'd you need?"

"Nothing. Everything." Daniel left quickly.

"You might try being a bit nicer to her." Mitchell yelled out towards the door.

"I know."

~0i0~

Daniel sauntered into the control room, hands in his pockets. "It's almost 1:30, why haven't..."

"Incoming video feed. It's Colonel Reynolds, sir." Walter announced, looking over his shoulder towards the General.

"Ok, Chief, let's see it. Reynolds?"

"General Landry, sir. We have a problem."

~0i0~ To Be Continued


	2. Chapter 2

~0i0~ Chapter Two - Pirates of the SGC

"This is ridiculous," Daniel hitched the waist of the leather pants upwards. "Just because Reynolds assures us she's safe, for now, doesn't mean she's really safe. We need to go. And who the hell thought these outfits were necessary?"

"I suggested the leather." Cam slipped the duster on, checked the belted gun holster, once more verified the gun was loaded and frowned towards the archeologist.

Daniel looked askew at Mitchell. "Because you couldn't wait to wear it again?"

"Because we know it fits in with most cultures, is not military, we already have them, and as you said we need to leave. Now!"

Daniel nodded knowing full well it was the best they could do in the time they had. He was scared. Worried. Feeling guilty. He followed Cam out and down the hall.

Halfway to the Gateroom Jack appeared, wearing faded jeans, a black tee shirt and leather jacket, a Beretta clipped to his belt on one side, a knife in a tooled sheath clipped on the other side, and stepped into line with Cam and Daniel. "Where's Teal'c?"

"Can't make it right now." Cam said.

"Because he doesn't have the right outfit?"

"Not funny, Jack. He's caught up in some drama on Dakara. And what're you doing here?" Daniel grumbled as he moved ahead and was about to go into the Gateroom.

Jack placed a hand on his friend's shoulder to stall Daniel and offered a low, "I'm going with you. This is all my fault."

"What?" Shocked, Daniel looked askew at the General.

"I talked to her. Told her."

"Told her what?"

"About, well, about the anniversary, and tried to explain why you were being such a jerk to her because you must have forgotten."

"I didn't forget!"

"No?"

"No! I was pissed off because she never said how she felt!"

"Sha're?"

"Vala! When I kissed her!"

"Did you happen to mention how you felt?"

"I kissed her!"

"Well Mr. Romance, did she kiss you back?"

"Of course she did!"

"And you kissed her because?"

"Because... er...?"

"Because you want more than kissing with Vala Mal Doran, ex-pirate?"

"NO!"

"No? Really? No you don't want to do more than kiss her?"

"Yes, of course I do, but no, not, well, maybe that too."

"So, Danny boy, maybe you should have told her why you kissed her."

Cam pushed past the two into the Gateroom. "Maybe we can all tell her if we leave, find her and rescue her."

The Stargate kawoosh settled and with a narrowed eye glare towards O'Neill, Daniel sprinted up and through, while Cam shook his head and with arm out and hand up, motioned the General to proceed.

~0i0~

There was no time to continue the fiasco laden conversation with Jack as they were met by Reynolds and SG3.

Rushing up to Cam, Reynolds talked fast, "We got hit with an old Goa'uld flash bomb, woke up and Vala was gone. Damn! We'll need to take a transport to Peli, another continent. The transports leave frequently, it's not far from here. I've already made contact with a... an ex-pirate by his own word. We'll need to find him, he went ahead to scout out but he's very familiar with the process. Brabusk, he's easy to find he wears an eye patch... and I'm not making that up, and he's blue, like he took too much of that Colloidal Silver stuff. They have her near there, somewhere. In with a group of women about to go on auction. They're safe, according to Brabusk. The women are worth a small fortune the less they are handled – they're for domestic work only. That's all they will trade in." Reynolds took a breath and looked at each one, first Cam, then Jack and finally, slowly at Daniel. "Fortunately, it's some moral code. Planet wide. The women can marry their owners, but only if they want to, otherwise they are just for work. Some women come here on their own. Others, well, they're basically drugged and 'stored' for the auction, fed and taken care of. So, Mitchell, did you bring Naquadah credits and a bit of gold?"

Cam nodded without so much as a word. Jack and Daniel also remained quiet and contemplative.

"Right then." Reynolds turned and with a familiar signal for all to follow he took off down the road.

~0i0~

Brabusk, with tinted blue skin, did indeed wear an eye patch. He led them to the edge of a small village, pointed out the way to the arena, as well as informed them of the hot spots where guards would be. Advised the best thing to do was to buy her back and get the hell out of there. He left them quickly and trotted back towards the transport facility.

"Let's do this." Daniel demanded and took the lead.

"Sure, Mr. I'm In Charge." Jack mumbled.

Quick stepping down the path Cam pushed ahead and took the lead. "Jackson, I'm the commanding officer."

Jack snickered. "I'm the top ranking officer."

Cam and Daniel both stopped and turned to glare.

"Really, Jack, you're going there?" Daniel asked with a huff of indignation.

"Pullin' rank, sir?" Cam asked in all seriousness.

"Alright, alright, move on, Colonel." Jack nodded and took up the six.

They hadn't gone twenty feet when several men, again looking all pirate like, jumped out of the woods with axes, pitchforks, one staff weapon, bent and charred, and two odd looking guns.

"Ye canna pass afore ye tell us who ye be." The tallest of the group said, pointing a rusty rifle-like weapon at Jack.

"Black Jack." Jack said immediately.

The rifle pointed to Cam. "Cam Shaft." He replied in quick fashion.

The weapon moved on to Daniel. "Er. Ah. Ah. Captain. Captain Crunch, Captain Daniel Crunch."

Both Jack and Cam cranked their heads slowly towards Daniel who shrugged noncommittally.

With a curt nod the man moved back and another came forward. "Yur ship?"

Speaking at the same time the three spoke in perfect harmony.

"Prometheus" Daniel said. "Odyssey," Cam said. "Daedalus," Jack said.

When the pirate group appeared to be suspicious Daniel blurted out, "Pod, for short"

"Aye." Murmured several of the men in the background.

"So ye be in charge, Cap'n Crunch?"

It took a few seconds for Daniel to realize the man spoke to him. "Yep. Aye. We've come to find us a... er..."

"A scullery maid?" The blue man suggested.

"Yes, er, yep, I mean aye. We've come to get us a housekeeper."

"A scullery maid," Cam offered. "We need some cookin' and cleanin' and that's all we need."

~0i0~

A rowdy crowd gathered in an arena where the women would be brought up on a platform. The "Pod" crew had to sign in and get a bid number. Daniel stood in the line all the while waiting to spot Vala. Distracted, mostly because he could see heads above the crowd, he searched for a sight of her.

"Sir? Cap'n?" The teller called.

"Jackson! Ummm... Crunch, get with the program!" Mitchell yelled bringing Daniel's attention back to the moment at hand.

"Cap'n I need yer credits. You buy? You need credits." The teller demanded, impatiently.

Still scanning the area, Daniel searched his pockets and produced a small leather folded wallet, removed his American Express card and handed it to the man.

Mitchell shouldered Daniel aside, snatched his credit card, and set the pouch with the known off world credits down in front of the teller.

The man looked it over and nodded as if there was some secret he and Mitchell shared. Then the man reached under the table and handed Daniel a multi-colored card different than the rest. "Ye be able to buy outright with credits like this."

Following Daniel towards the platform Mitchell hissed in Daniel's ear. "Who the hell brings a wallet much less a credit card off world?"

"I forgot it was in my pocket." Rushing ahead Daniel missed Cam's eye roll and Jack's snicker.

"We're dead." Cam mumbled turning to Jack.

"Love makes him stupid."

"Yes sir, I'll agree to that."

~0i0~ TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three – Pirates of the SGC

~0i0~

"Get your filthy hands off of me!"

Hearing that voice, that tone, that demand that few would ignore, Daniel took off pushing through the throng of bodies moving forward for a closer examination of the women and especially one being coaxed up on the platform.

She spat, she glared, she growled. Breathless he watched all the while getting closer and closer. A gruff, burly man pushed her toward the stairs. Daniel nearly leapt, had it not been for Mitchell's hand on his shoulder Daniel would have pounced on the man and beat the crap out of him.

"Wait. We'll get her out of this. Don't start something we'll have to call in Reynolds and team for. We don't want a fight. Besides she seems to be handling it just fine. That guy looks a mite scared if you ask me."

With a hard jerk Daniel shook off Mitchell's hold but was immediately stopped by Jack who whispered, gruffly. "You want to put her in danger? Cool off."

Daniel held back. It was then that their gaze met. Vala appeared shocked but pleasantly so. Then that amazing grin of hers lit up her face and Daniel smiled.

She wore a too large dingy faded gray dress that came to mid calf. Her legs and feet were bare. That raven mass of hair was a fright escaping from a drooping bun. She looked healthy. Beautiful. Full of fire. Full of life. Daniel's knees nearly buckled with the realization of just how much he cared for her, loved her. How much he felt relief she was well. How amazingly she impacted his life. His smile morphed into a wide grin. However, her smile turned into a frown.

For a moment longer their eyes held and then she turned to her captor and smacked the hell out of him.

The crowd roared with laughter.

"How much for that one?" Daniel asked the man who'd been urging Vala forward.

"Auction starts and when she come up you bid." Vala's handler informed him.

Daniel flashed his bidder card, clearly marked to indicate he could afford whatever he chose.

"Aye. I'd like to be rid'o her and be tempted to give her to ya seein' as how she be a handful, but my cap'n would skin me 'live."

"Understood."

The man smirked knowing he could start high and work down to a reasonable amount. "If'n ye want 'er top dollar wi'out a bid that'd be two hundred credits."

"Sold!" Daniel agreed.

Apparently shocked the handler blinked, mouth open unable to speak for a few seconds. Then, in a booming voice he cried out, "Two hundred credits! Don't none ever pay that!"

"I do." Raising his arm Daniel signaled Mitchell forward. "Pay the man Cam Shaft. Pay the man."

"Aye, aye Cap'n." Mitchell said, grinned, and dug into the pouch producing a handful of Naquadah credits. "This enough blue man?"

Vala, totally confused looked back and forth from Cam to Daniel.

"It be... and good riddance to 'er."

"Hmph!" Vala took the hand Daniel offered.

"Papers! Cap'n Crunch. Gotta have papers or she'll be back afore mornin'."

Scowling, Daniel eyed the man with suspicion. "Papers?"

"Crunch, whose crunching?" Vala asked but got no answer as Daniel let go of her hand and inspected the papers.

"Papers give ya the ownership for the transport of a woman from Peli to Merli only. They be ten credits. Once ya get back to Merli ya canna take the portal off the planet Liska with her unless she be yer wife. Wedded papers be twenty credits – only get them ones over in Merli where you came in from."

Nodding Daniel grouched, "Nice little racket you have going here." Once again he motioned for Cam to pay up. Jack snickering in the background did nothing to lighten the mood.

~0i0~

SG-3 followed Mitchell and Jack who followed Daniel and Vala onto the transport headed to Merli. Papers were inspected and stamped. Vala gratefully accepted her pack from Reynolds and told him and all of SG-3 that there was no way any of them could have foreseen what transpired.

Daniel continued to stay by her side taking her hand in his.

His hand, warm and strong, gave Vala a feeling of support. The knowing he'd been concerned. He could be so kind and quite affectionate, however, he could be grouchy and judgmental too!

As if he read her thoughts Daniel squeezed her hand gently. Damn, she thought, talk about an enigma! Sometimes she wondered if she loved him. Ha! Love Daniel? Real in love with? Friends yes. What did she know about true love? Besides, so what if she was in love with her archeologist! How could he love her? Vala Mal Doran, thief and liar? Why couldn't he see that she wasn't that person anymore? Could he truly love her? Ever?

With a deep sign of resignation Vala pulled her hand from his and moved closer to the others.

Standing together on the transport the SGC personnel talked quietly.

"So." Jack said, "people, actually men, well, hell, who knows, but you can come to Liska if you need a housekeeper or a wife or both."

Reynolds grinned. "That just about sums it up, sir."

"Unless..." Mitchell added, "you're a unattached female or perceived as one. But worry not we have papers for Cap'n Crunch's former pirate turned one of the SGC's best."

Vala smiled at the backhanded compliment. "Daniel, what's with the Crunch?"

"Pirate names. I couldn't think fast. Mitchell of course was Cam Shaft and Jack was Jack Black or Black Jack or something like that. All I could think of was Captain Crunch."

"Like the cereal?"

"Yep."

"How very disturbing. I don't like Captain Crunch."

"You like this one."

"What one?"

"Me."

"But you're Daniel."

"Cap'n Daniel Crunch, Arrgh."

"What's an arrgh?"

Jack and Mitchell burst out laughing. Shooting them a glare Daniel indicating he wanted them to move on.

~0i0~

On Merli, all of SG-1 plus Jack stood in front of the clerk who was scribbling, and stamping like crazy on the papers... the marriage papers.

"You okay?" Daniel asked Vala, his voice low and caring.

"Yes."

"I was worried about you." Daniel had her hand and he squeezed it gently still watching the clerk who continued to work on paper after paper.

Face turning up to his she didn't smile. "I'm fine. Strange place. Strange unavoidable incident. I'm fine."

"I was worried about you." Daniel reiterated, voice low.

"I'm fine, Daniel! Nothing other than drab clothes, no shoes and smelly men happened!"

"I know that, and that is not what I was worried about. Well, I was worried about your safety, but I was worried because I may have mislead you. When we were..."

"That's alright, it's off world. No worries about this. It won't count when we get home. Their marriages aren't real. Please stop worrying."

"That's not what..."

The clerk interrupted, "That'd be twenty credits, Cap'n."

Mitchell handed the amount over to Jack who passed it on to Daniel who tossed the amount on the table.

"Now ye be Cap'n and Miz Crunch. Here be the papers. Ye can leave as pleases."

Vala watched as Daniel carefully folded the papers and put them in his top jacket pocket. A thrill washed through her in tsunami fashion, what if? What if? She had caught a glimpse of something in his telling blue eyes as he handled the papers. Something intense and exciting. Quickly she chased the thoughts away. It wasn't real.

She turned to see their companions, all of SG-3, plus Mitchell and Jack grinning.

"Well, hell, I can't believe Teal'c is missing this moment." Reynolds cocked his head side to side and then signaled his team to move onto Stargate entrance ramp.

"We have got to get the address to this wacko planet out of our system!" Jack insisted as he followed SG-3.

Elation bubbled up as Daniel patted the papers in his pocket. Something new was happening and he knew Vala was right for him. What he needed to be happy. He was attracted to her, no denying that! Vala Mal Doran former space pirate. Daniel was absolutely sure she loved him. And, admittedly, he loved her.

Vala moved ahead to join Mitchell leaving Daniel to stroll alone into the Stargate wondering what the hell was wrong with Vala. Or him. Or them. He would fix this. They needn't squander any more time denying what was right before them.

~0i0~

"Vala, wait." Daniel called as she sped away from him on the way to his office.

"What? Why? Oh, by the way it's Miz Crunch. Has a nice ring... Oh! Ring. Where is my ring? Will we live on a pirate ship? On the ocean? You know Crunch, you could go back every year and get an updated wife... that would suit you, wouldn't it? No long term commitment." Vala snatched the papers from his jacket pocket, crumpled them and tossed them in his face. "Thanks for the rescue. Seriously."

"Vala!" He called after her. "Vala please wait."

She stopped and turned. "I'm exhausted. I'm grippy. I'm sad. Sadder and wiser. I thought we might... well, I am your friend, your teammate. So be it. Now I'm going to shower and sleep and eat and sleep. Goodnight, Daniel." Turning forward once again Vala walked away.

"I... I'm..."

"What, Daniel? You're what? What do you need to say? For goodness sakes say it. Be honest. Let it out. End my misery and let me sleep."

"Just give me a few more minutes. Come into my office so we can talk about this. Please."

"Alright." Vala followed him in and immediately stopped in her tracks.

He felt she wasn't following and turned to her. Staring at the spot where Sha're's picture had been she drew a deep breath. Her gaze flicked to his and then back.

"It was time." Daniel said coming closer to where she stood near the doorway.

"Oh. I'm.. I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Vala could only shrug.

"It's our time Vala. I know you love me." He pulled her close into his embrace. Her head tucked down under his chin. "Pirate that you are you've stolen my heart."

She didn't say a word.

"Why are you crying?" Daniel asked softly.

"For her."

His voice full of wonder he whispered. "Vala. Sweet Vala."

"And you, darling. I couldn't bear to lose you. I can't imagine..."

"Vala, I love you." With one finger he lifted her face to his and kissed her ever so slowly. "I love you."

~END


End file.
